Tons to cubic yards calculator
Cubic yards = tons × 2,000 ÷ pounds per cubic yard. One ton of gravel at 2,565 lb per loose cubic yard is 0.78 cubic yards; lighter materials such as soil and mulch give more yards per ton.
0 uses the published 2,565 lb/yd³
Optional; 0 leaves cost out
1 ton of gravel is about 0.78 loose cubic yards at 2,565 lb per loose cubic yard.
- Cubic yards
- 0.78
- Cubic feet
- 21.1
- Tons
- 1
- Pounds
- 2,000
- Cubic yards at the published range, same condition
- 0.62–0.78
- Rounded up to the next half yard
- 1 yd³
How it is calculated
- Pounds = 1 ton × 2,000 lb = 2,000 lb.
- Cubic yards = 2,000 lb ÷ 2,565 lb/yd³ = 0.78 yd³.
- Cubic feet = 0.78 yd³ × 27 = 21.1 cu ft.
How to convert tons to cubic yards
A ton is a weight and a cubic yard is a volume, so the conversion uses the weight of one cubic yard of the material. The worked numbers use the calculator's default: 1 ton of gravel.
Step 1: pounds from tons
Pounds = tons × 2,000 (US short ton)
Example 1 × 2,000 = 2,000 lb
Step 2: cubic yards from pounds
Cubic yards = pounds ÷ pounds per cubic yard of the material
Example Gravel at 2,565 lb per loose cubic yard (Seattle Public Utilities): 2,000 ÷ 2,565 = 0.78 cubic yards
Step 3: cubic feet
Cubic feet = cubic yards × 27
Example 0.78 × 27 = 21.1 cu ft
Step 4: loose cubic yards for a compacted weight
Loose cubic yards = compacted cubic yards × published loose cubic yards per compacted cubic yard
Example Crusher run at 3,770 lb per compacted cubic yard, the middle of Wisconsin DOT research (WHRP)'s 1.79–1.98 tons per cubic yard for “Dense Graded Base 1¼ in”: 2,000 ÷ 3,770 = 0.53 compacted cubic yards.
Example 0.531 × 1.34–1.52 loose cubic yards per compacted cubic yard (Wisconsin DOT research (WHRP)) = 0.71–0.81 loose cubic yards to order.
Step 5: cubic yards back to tons
Tons = cubic yards × pounds per cubic yard ÷ 2,000
Example 1 cubic yard of gravel: 1 × 2,565 ÷ 2,000 = 1.28 tons
Cubic yards in a ton by material
| Material | Condition | Pounds per cubic yard | Tons per cubic yard | Cubic yards per ton |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asphalt | compacted | 3,960 | 1.98 | 0.51 |
| Crusher run | compacted | 3,770 | 1.89 | 0.53 |
| Pea gravel | not stated | 2,840 | 1.42 | 0.7 |
| Sand | loose | 2,795 | 1.4 | 0.72 |
| River rock | not stated | 2,650 | 1.33 | 0.75 |
| Rock | loose | 2,570 | 1.29 | 0.78 |
| Gravel | loose | 2,565 | 1.28 | 0.78 |
| Dirt | dry, compaction not stated | 2,025 | 1.01 | 0.99 |
| Soil | dry, compaction not stated | 2,025 | 1.01 | 0.99 |
| Topsoil | not stated | 1,600 | 0.8 | 1.25 |
| Mulch | not stated | 500 | 0.25 | 4 |
Why a ton of each material is a different volume
A ton is a weight and a cubic yard is a volume, so the conversion depends on how much one cubic yard of the material weighs. Stone and sand are heavy, soil is lighter and mulch is lighter still. The same material also weighs more wet than dry and more compacted than loose.
Each material in the list uses a published value with its source and condition (loose, compacted or not stated), and the result shows the range of published values in the same condition. A compacted weight gives compacted cubic yards; where a document gives the loose volume per compacted yard, the result shows it too. With a weight per yard from your supplier, enter it as your own density for an exact conversion.